Technical Abstract:
Insect mass rearing systems involve selection of target population, strain development, establishment of an initial culture, mass production, short- and long-term storage, shipment to users, and release in the field. All these steps are mediated by process and product control procedures. Mass rearing should be preceded by the development quality control methods. .This would allow pursuit of promising avenues of research related mass rearing techniques, as well as allow producers to undertake and organize effort to improve the quality of the insects. According to modern notions of quality, the quality of mass reared insects must be based on their ability to perform the function for which they are produced. Thus, criteria for evaluating the quality of mass reared insects may best be based on vitality and productivity. The development of global indices are preferable. Quality control assessment methods must also be quick and reliable. Original methods for standardized assessing quality classes of Trichogramma spp. and Catolaccus grandis, and a device for determination of a global index for Trichogramma, as related to field efficacy, will be discussed. The methodology of determination of Trichogramma release rates and prediction of generalized criteria of effectiveness, based on the pest density, the quality of released wasps, weather conditions, and plant phenology, will be also presented.